


Horizon: Infinite Sunset

by Serie11



Series: Femslash February 2018 [12]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Coming of Age, F/F, Minor Violence, Nora Aloy, Outcast Vala, Role Reversal, theyre good kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 15:06:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13661514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11
Summary: Aloy simply wants to be recognised for her own skills, not that of her mother the War Chief. It's difficult when they look so similar to each other.Will the outcast who competes in the Proving be able to give Aloy the recognition she desires?





	Horizon: Infinite Sunset

Aloy checked her bow for the hundredth time. Everything was in order, but she still wanted to make sure. She wasn’t normally a nervous person, but since the event tomorrow was a little important, her stomach was roiling and she didn’t even blame it.

“Nervous?”

“All Mother curse it, Bast,” Aloy muttered. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

Bast shrugged his shoulders. “You’re looking constipated, that’s all.”

“I am not.”

“How can you tell? You can’t even see your own face.”

“I can tell, because I’m not constipated. Now shut up.”

Bast grinned at her and opened his mouth again even though she’d told him not to. “Good, because I don’t want my victory against you tomorrow to hollow. I’m going to beat you on my own merit, while you’re at your strongest. _I’m_ going to be the one to win the Proving.”

Aloy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

“Bast is the best,” Bast said, like that didn’t make him sound like a total moron.

“Do you think that other girl is going to show up?”

He scoffed. “What girl?”

 _The one that was cast out,_ Aloy thought to herself. _The one who belongs here with us._

“Nothing,” she said out loud. The girl would either come, or she wouldn’t. There wasn’t anything that Aloy could do about that. She didn’t have any control over the people who lived outside of Mother’s Heart, even though her own mother was the War Chief. Elisabet used the system that the Matriarchs set up to her advantage, but she rarely went against the rules. It was something that Aloy chafed at. What was the point of having the power to change things if you never did?

As the War Chief’s daughter, Aloy got away with a lot of behaviour that other children wouldn’t even dream of doing. That meant that the few rules that her mother did enforce felt even more constricting.

One of those rules was about taking to outcasts.

Aloy had seen outcasts many times in her life, but she’d never spoken to any of them. Most of the time it had been when she was in the company of other Nora, and the entire group had quickly left. There weren’t many outcasts, and thus Aloy knew most of them by sight – including the young girl and her older protector.

Aloy had wanted to talk to her and befriend her. She was the only outcast around her own age – all the others that she had seen were a fair few years older.  Aloy had wanted a friend – someone who would look at her and wouldn’t think about her mother, and all the expectations that came along with that. If she ever heard again how _identical_ she looked to her mother when she was this age, Aloy would rip her hair out. She was a different person to Elisabet, even if they did look the same. Aloy looked up to her mother and thought that she was an amazing and inspiring person, but she didn’t want to _be_ her.

Not that the Nora knew there was any difference. Her mother worked with a spear, so Aloy had chosen a bow. Elisabet kept her hair short, so Aloy grew it out long and braided it to keep it out of her face while she was hunting. Sometimes she felt like those differences were the only things keeping the Nora from seeing her as just a copy of her mother.

The outcast girl would know nothing of this. She would take Aloy at face value – she would admire Aloy for her own skills, and wouldn’t compare her to her mother, not even subconsciously. If she liked Aloy, then Aloy would know that it was just because she liked Aloy, not because she wanted to get close to the War Chief.

If Aloy had had an older sibling or two, then she thought that it might not have been as bad. But she was an only child, and Elisabet was near worshipped by the Nora. It hadn’t exactly fostered a good relationship between them and Aloy.

If she won the Proving tomorrow, she was going to ask to become a Seeker so she could go to Meridian. Sure, she would couch in language that they would like and understand – she would say that she was there to see this new Sun King, to see if the Carja were truly peaceful now, to see if they were planning on attacking the Nora again. If it got her wish granted, then this would be the one thing the Nora’s comparison between her and her mother would be useful for. She would finally leave, and she somehow doubted that she would ever come back.

Her fingers traced the blue paint on her face – a triangle extending from her right ear. Her Mother’s Mark denoted her as to who she was. She would keep that part of herself, at least. Even if the Nora had driven her away from them, she would always have a part of herself rooted here. The Mother’s Mark would show that.

“Are you done thinking?”

Aloy looked sideways at Bast. While he was an ass, he was also dependable in a pinch. She thought that she’d miss him, when she went. Without him to rile up, she’d just have her thoughts to herself.

“I’m always thinking,” Aloy said. “Some people have constant thoughts in their head. Now I know that’s hard to understand for someone like you, who lives for meat and the hunt, but I’m sure that you’ll be able to grasp it eventually.”

“Shut up,” Bast said. “I have constant thoughts in my head. I just don’t let them distract me!”

“Distract you from what?”

Bast paused. “You know. Stuff. Important stuff.”

“Like meat and hunting?” Aloy asked wryly.

Bast spluttered, and Aloy laughed at him.

“The ceremony’s about to start,” a passing brave said. Aloy looked over her shoulder. They were sitting at one of the fireplaces, and Bast, true to his nature, was devouring a hunk of boar. Around them, braves were trailing towards the area where the ceremony would be.

“Come on Bast,” Aloy said, standing. “Stop scoffing your meat. Let’s go.”

Bast attempted to eat the rest of his meat on the way to the ceremony and actually managed, which Aloy was vaguely impressed and vaguely horrified by. They work together with the rest of the braves to set out all the lanterns, and then they all took their places. Aloy recognised the perfectionism and talent inherent in her lantern – after all, her mother did make it.

She looked around, and realised there was an extra lantern.

Her heart quickened as she saw another teenager jog down the pathway and approach Teersa. She was lean and dark, her bow competent looking and her quiver full of arrows. Her gear was worn and obviously not made by a skilled stitcher like Aloy’s was. She crouched down next to Aloy, and Aloy missed most of Teersa’s speech because she was too busy staring at her.

The outcast smiled back at Aloy when they made eye contact, and Aloy’s stomach dived. She was rough looking but determined. Aloy recognised the look on her face as one that probably graced her own quite often.

The Matriachs tell the contestants to light their lanterns, and Aloy did so, soberly reflecting on Teersa’s words.

“For my mother,” Aloy said heavily. “For all that she’s done to bring me here.”

Elisabet was the driving force behind Aloy’s skills and success as a hunter. For her whole life, all Aloy has wanted to do was to gain her legitimate recognition and respect. Aloy recognised that in her dedication.

The lanterns floated up beautifully in the night sky and Aloy marvelled over them. She’d watched them rise for years on end, always waiting for it to be her turn so that she could prove herself, so that she could show how good she was on her merits alone. All of the contestants would be fighting for their own goals and dreams and aspirations tomorrow, and Aloy would be right in the thick of it, teeth bared and grinning.

Aloy looked for the outcast after the lanterns disappeared, and saw her talking to Teersa. Loitering in the background seemed a bit weird, so she followed the other contestants back to their lodge, where she intended to claim a bed as far away from Bast as she could. Look, he _snored_ , and he did it really loudly, okay?

The other contestants in the lodge were talking quietly amoung themselves. It was a more subdued atmosphere than Aloy was used to, but she supposed it made sense – after all, everyone was likely thinking about tomorrow. She doubted anyone would want to stay up late tonight.

Aloy found a bed and sat on the edge of it, letting out a yawn. She heard the door open and close, and then Bast’s voice was ringing through the lodge.

“Hey, outcast! That’s pretty cute, you know – trying to dress like a real Nora, huh?”

Aloy stood up and looked at Bast, who was leaning against his own bunk and smirking. Across the room, the outcast girl had just walked in the door.

“Don’t take that from him,” Aloy advised her. “Or he’ll just keep doing it.” It was true – Bast did what he got away with, and if he got away with calling the outcast not a Nora, then that would just continue for the entire time that she was in the tribe. Aloy didn’t want that for her.

Their eyes met for a second, and Aloy gave her a smile, nodding in encouragement. The outcast stalked across to Bast.

“You’re a real idiot, you know?”

“Oh, look at the outcast, calling people names,” Bast sneered.

“At least I have the decnecy to do it after someone’s insulted me,” she said. “Unlike some other rude people here.”

“Hey! I only said it because it was true.”

“Well it’s also true that you’re going to lose tomorrow. And that you’re full of hot air, because you’re obviously spouting this shit to make yourself feel better. Well look at my face, because I’m going to beat you, fair and square.”

The outcast turned away from Bast, mouth pursed. Aloy tilted her head towards her, and she walked over.

“Nice job handling Bast,” Aloy said, glancing at him. Bast was fuming, but he was doing it quietly, at least. “That should keep him quiet until morning.”

“Hopefully,” the outcast said.

“I’m Aloy,” Aloy said, extending her hand. The outcast grasped her wrist.

“Vala,” she said. “And don’t think that my challenge was just to Bast – I’m going to win tomorrow.”

“We’ll see about that,” Aloy said wryly. Vala shook her head.

“There’s no way I can let myself lose.”

“Well, I’ll look forward to the challenge,” Aloy said. “There’s an extra bunk there, when you want it.”

Vala smiled. “Thanks. I’m glad that someone here is nice.”

Aloy blushed. “No problem. Let me know if you need anything.”

* * *

 

The climb up to the Proving grounds was tough but thrilling. Aloy had always liked to climb – there was a certain giddiness in being so high off the ground that her own skill was the only thing that kept her from death. Vala was no slouch herself, and Aloy had enjoyed matching wits and skills with her as they climbed the cliffs.

Everyone made it to the top, which Aloy _was_ glad about. Even though it meant more competition for her, it also meant that no one needlessly fell and broke their legs or their backs. Aloy shyly chatted with Vala in the spots in the trail where they could stop for a second, to admire the view, or catch their breath. She was witty and sly and funny, but genuine and honest in a way that Aloy thought was a product of her upbringing. She’d only ever really interacted with one person, and that meant she’d never had to talk around a topic, or get away from a conversation, or outright lie because she disliked someone.

At the top of the cliff, Aloy focued her nerves and strummed the string of her bow. Her arrows were in reach, and her gear was perfect. Now, it was down to her.

“The herd is coming!”

Leaping into action, Aloy drew back two arrows, a skill she had recently mastered. They flew true, and knocked two blaze cannisters off a grazer. Another three arrows and it fell.

While the other contestents were still busy bringing down their prey, Aloy looted her trophy. Bast was sprinting to his downed grazer, but it was closer to the start of the brave trail than Aloy was. Heart in her throat, she ran past him. Over flat ground, Bast was faster than her, and she suspected that she would need all the extra time she could get.

Up the first cliff, and she barely acknowledged the proctor at the start of the trail. Clambering along a tree balanced between cliffs, Aloy scaled another ridge and then dropped down a few levels, rolling with the impact. She heard an impact in the snow behind her, but she didn’t look back. She was in first place, and that was how she was going to stay.

A few ledges hold her up for a few seconds longer than they need to, and she could feel Bast nipping at her heels now. She jumped down a slipwire and felt the wire dip with his weight as well. She ground her teeth – it’s rude and sometimes dangerous to have multiple people on a slipwire, but she supposed that she shouldn’t have expected Bast to give her that courtesy.

She landed hard and rolled with it, leaping into a sprint. She ran along a wire, gaining – Bast had never had the best balance. Deep snow slowed her on the other side, and she floundered for a few seconds. Her heart in her throat, she scaled another cliff and then dropped down to the other side. Blood pounding, Aloy sprinted the final stretch – only to see Vala come in on a slipwire to land a few strides in front of her.

Aloy pushed herself to her limits in the last twenty metres, but Vala was just too far ahead. She planted her trophey on the altar a second after Vala did.

“She didn’t win!” Bast shouted, and Aloy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. All Mother help her, he was so spoiled and could be such an entitled prick. “The outcast cheated!”

“An outcast? Win the Proving? Never!” Aloy blinked in shock at Mattel – the tribe laws were clear. If an outcast succeeded in the Proving, they were welcomed into the tribe as a brave.

“For she is a brave now!”

Aloy huffed. That was unnecessarily dramatic. When she looked at Vala, she looked like she’d just had a heart attack, and pure shock was running over her face. Aloy clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“Congratulations!” Aloy said, and grinning at Vala, who blinked quickly and then began to smile back. Aloy thought she looked stunned.

“So are you all, as long as you put your trophy on the alter.”

Then: arrows, fear, Vala leading a charge, blood, men with masks and one with a terrifying device that spat fire and ends the lives of three Nora. Aloy finally put him down with an arrow through the chest, and together, she and Vala panted together in the sudden, eerie stillness that descended on the clearing.

“Are you okay?” Vala asked. Aloy can’t take her eyes from Bast’s unmoving body. He was an asshole, but he didn’t deserve to _die_ for it.

“As fine as I can be,” Aloy managed to say. Vala nodded jerkily.

“I saw the leader fall over there,” Vala said.

They made their way towards the man, and Vala picked off a small, white, triangle off his ear.

“What’s that?” she asked. Vala looked up at her.

“It’s a focus,” Vala said. “A remnant from the Old Ones.”

Aloy balked. “We can’t touch that – it’s forbidden!”

“It might be able to tell us more about their plan,” Vala pointed out. She tucked it into one of her pouches.

Uncomfortable, Aloy almost missed Vala’s shocked expression.

It didn’t matter much though. A moment later, something heavy hit the back of her head, and Aloy fell to the ground, unconscious.

So she didn’t see Vala fight for the both of them – she didn’t see Rost come and distract Helis for long enough so that Vala can drag her away from the fight and towards the cliff. And she definitely didn’t feel it when Rost threw them both off the cliff, to the snowy slopes below.

After she’s woken up and had the news of the War Party massacre dumped on her, as well as the fact that her mother is missing, Aloy cornered Vala.

“What did you find on that triangle?” she asked, intent on Vala’s face. She needed to find her mother, and Elisabet will want all the information possible to go after the killers.

“The focus,” Vala said. They stand in Mother’s Watch, over the corpse of a demon. Vala had been instrumental in bringing it down – her fire arrows had weakened the creature so that the rest of the braves could fell it.

“Yes, yes,” Aloy said. “What was on it?”

“A lot of things,” Vala deflected. “I was made a Seeker, to go and find out what it means.”

Aloy almost felt like she’s going to explode. She hadn’t won the Proving, and now Vala had her boon. Taking a deep breath, she looked her in the eye. “I’m coming with you.”

“What?” Vala looked shocked.

“Come with me, back to the Matriarchs. I’m going to demand that they make me a Seeker too. Then we can find my mum, and you can tell me what’s really on that thing, and then we can go and kick some ass together.”

“I don’t know if they’ll let you,” Vala said cautiously.

Aloy shot her a smile. “There’s nothing that I’ve wanted that I haven’t found a way to get. Don’t worry about convincing them – that’s my problem.”

“Okay.” Vala almost looked bemused. “I’d like some company on the trail.”

“Good,” Aloy said, satisfaction curling in her. She grabbed Vala’s hand. “Then let’s go.”

They had a whole world to explore together. Aloy wouldn’t miss that for _anything._


End file.
